Several cooking oils make tasty stir-fried dishes without doing damage to your heart. When you opt for heart-healthy oils, choose from the family of unsaturated fats that derive from plant sources such as canola, virgin olive oil and soybean oil. These oils reduce inflammation in the body, lower bad cholesterol and regulate the rhythms of your heart.
Canola
Canola oil originates from the canola plant, a cousin of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Canola producers harvest its seed and crush it into oil and meal. An all round heart-healthy wonder oil, monosaturated canola is rich in omega-3 fat, lowers LDL cholesterol and stabilizes blood sugar. Canola's high smoke point of 400 degrees F makes it suitable for frying.
Soybean
Polyunsaturated soybean oil derives from the soy bean. It provides a good source of omega-3 oil, which must come from food sources since the body cannot produce it on its own. Omega-3 oil is integral to blood clotting and the muscle action of the arteries. Soybean oil's smoke point is very high -- 450 degrees F -- so it makes an excellent heart-healthy frying oil.
Virgin Olive Oil
In a 2006 study conducted by Spanish researchers and published in the journal "Annals of Internal Medicine," virgin olive oil significantly elevated levels of HDL cholesterol in the participants. Monosaturated virgin olive oil is not only good for your heart, it contains polyphenol, a compound which can protect the body from oxidative stress. Virgin olive oil has a higher smoke point than other types of olive oil -- 420 degrees F -- thus it works well as a frying oil.
Warning
Even heart-healthy oils contain a good deal of calories. At nine calories per gram, fat is the most calorically dense form of nutrition and can easily lead to excess weight gain, which creates its own set of issues for your heart. With this in mind, limit the quantities of oil you use when cooking and consider using nonstick canola oil spray for stir frys as a means to manage your weight.
References
- U.S. Canola Association: Nutrition and Cooking
- Harvard School of Public Health: Fats and Cholesterol: Out With the Bad, In With the Good
- Health Castle; Cooking Oils: How to Choose a Good One; Gloria Tsang, RD; March 2011
- What's Cooking America: Smoking Points of Fats and Oils
- U.S. National Library of Medicine Medline Plus; Fat; Aug. 2, 2009
- Health Castle; Virgin Olive Oil May Be Better for Heart Health; Gloria Tsang, RD; September 2006
